Cornel West's VP pick backed defund the police, praised Farrakhan: 5 things to know

Long-shot presidential candidate Cornel West announced his prime for a moving mate connected Wednesday, tapping Melina Abdullah, a professor and co-founder of Black Lives Matter's Los Angeles section who has an extended governmental history.

Here are 5 things to cognize astir Abdullah that she is improbable to talk astir publically during her campaign.

1. She was thrown retired of a Los Angeles mayoral debate:

Police were forced to resistance Abdullah retired of a mayoral statement taking spot connected California State University LA's field successful 2022.

Abdullah was protesting nan truth that hardly 50 group were allowed wrong nan field auditorium to position nan debate, and that students and module were not allowed to enter.

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Abduallh was a Cal State LA professor astatine nan time, and she clarified that constabulary only removed her from nan premises and did not apprehension her.

"I should person been capable to watch nan mayoral statement that was happening connected my ain campus. I’m still processing nan truth that Raphe Sonenshein, personification who called himself a friend, who I’ve known good since I was successful postgraduate school, called nan constabulary and had maine forcibly and brutally removed," Abdullah said successful a connection to nan Los Angeles Times, referencing 1 of nan co-sponsors of nan debate.

"I’m processing that arsenic I was yelling for help, that I was being wounded and called for Karen Bass and Kevin De León … 2 group who person been very adjacent for much than 20 years, they said nothing, not moreover a elemental ‘Please put her down,’ nor did immoderate different candidate. It’s some hurtful and outrageous," she added.

2. She sued nan nationalist BLM statement and lost:

While Abduallah is simply a co-founder of nan Los Angeles section of Black Lives Matter, that doesn't mean she ever sewage on pinch nan remainder of nan organization.

While Abduallah is simply a co-founder of nan Los Angeles section of Black Lives Matter, that doesn't mean she ever gets on pinch nan remainder of nan organization.

In 2022, Abdullah sued Shalomyah Bowers, an executive astatine nan Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. She alleged that Bowers had been utilizing nan statement arsenic his "personal piggy bank" and had paid complete $10 cardinal to his consulting patient utilizing non-profit funds.

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Abdullah said astatine a property convention astatine nan clip that "the assets that we built, nan financial resources, nan societal media platforms and nan sanction ‘Black Lives Matter’ person been taken from america and are nether nan power of consultants."

BLMGNF's committee of board denied nan allegations in a lengthy statement anterior to hearings successful nan case. 

"Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) is present to springiness ray and conflict for Black liberation," nan connection said successful part. "Make nary mistake, nan allegations of Melina Abdullah and BLM Grassroots (BLMGR) are false. They are slanderous and devoid of reality."

Abdullah's suit was yet dismissed and she was ordered to salary much than $100,000 successful ineligible fees to Bowers.

3. She is simply a large instrumentality of notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan:

Abdullah has many times and emphatically praised Minister Louis Farrakhan passim his years of anti-American and antisemitic controversies.

A little reappraisal of Abdullah's individual account connected X shows that she has praised and quoted nan Nation of Islam leader for years, going backmost astir a decade to 2015.

"Humbled, overwhelmed, and profoundly grateful 2 stock abstraction pinch @louisfarrakhan #JusticeOrElse," she wrote successful June 2015 alongside a image of nan minister.

Her appreciation for Farrakhan remained accordant for nan adjacent respective years, pinch her defending him connected societal media successful 2019. 

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"We should each beryllium outraged by nan banning of Minister @LouisFarrakhan from Instagram and Facebook. Loving Black group and wanting state and self-determination for america does not represent ‘Black supremacy.’ In a state built connected our backs location tin beryllium nary 'Black supremacy,'" she wrote astatine nan time.

4. She wants to defund nan police:

As a founding personnel of Los Angeles' BLM chapter, Abdullah has a predictably debased sentiment of nan police.

"Now Is nan Time to Defund nan Police and Reimagine Public Safety," Abdullah told PBS successful a 2022 interview.

Abdullah pushed for extended reforms to policing successful Los Angeles successful nan aftermath of nan George Floyd protests successful 2020, and she besides aggressively opposed an summation successful constabulary fund projected successful LA successful 2023.

"The overwhelming number of Angelenos want to divest from policing and parking enforcement, and put successful nan things that really support communities safe," Abdullah told KCRW successful August past twelvemonth aft nan metropolis voted to summation nan constabulary fund by $384 million.

She went connected to reason that nan salary hike for constabulary was "out of measurement pinch what nan group opportunity that they want" and suggested that politicians were acrophobic of retaliation by nan city's constabulary union.

5. She was nan unfortunate of ‘swatting’ successful 2020:

Abdullah was nan unfortunate of astatine slightest 1 "swatting" incidinet successful 2020. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Police Department sent officers Abdullah's location during nan power of George Floyd protests successful August 2020 aft receiving a hoax telephone call.

The LAPD said they received a telephone claiming location were 3 hostages being held wrong Abdullah's home. The believe of calling successful clone 911 calls is known arsenic "swatting," a superior crime that has gained prevalence successful caller years.

"After nan officers were capable to verify nan information of nan residents, nan on-scene investigation wished nan telephone was a hoax," nan LAPD said successful a connection astatine nan time.

Abdullah rejected nan mentation from police, however, claiming successful a video that constabulary were trying to "throw maine disconnected my game."

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"Dozens and dozens of police, LAPD and others, showed up astatine my location this morning, guns drawn, battle rifles drawn, really terrorizing maine and my children. We're OK," Abdullah said astatine nan time.

"I don't ever judge nan words of nan police," she continued. "You shouldn't either."

Fox News' Evie Fordham contributed to this report